1. Field of the Invention
The present invention pertains to a device for use in measuring, marking, and cutting material, and more particularly, to a transparent ruler having composite lines formed of an opaque line and a coincident translucent line of a greater width and of a contrasting color that is configured to enhance the visibility of the composite lines.
2. Description of the Related Art
Transparent rulers having grid lines formed thereon are used for measuring and marking material, such as fabric, paper, plastic, and the like. These rulers are also used to guide a tool, such as a razor, knife, or rotary cutter in cutting the material to desired sizes and shapes.
One such ruler is that developed by the applicant and sold under the trademark Omnigrid®. This tool is described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,779,346 in the name of the applicant for a transparent measuring device that includes a plurality of continuous two-color opaque lines formed of two lines of contrasting colors. In use, these contrasting opaque lines are visible against a background of multiple colors, thus facilitating the measuring and marking of material. Another ruler is described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,819,422, which discloses a transparent measuring device and method of making the same. Each of these patents is incorporated herein in their entirety, and the subject matter thereof will not be described in detail.
Briefly, and referring to FIG. 1, illustrated therein is a portion of a transparent measuring device 10 formed in accordance with previous methods. The lines 14 are formed from a first opaque line 16 of darker color or hue and a second opaque line 18 of a contrasting color or hue. Preferably, the second line 18 will be visible on both sides of the first line 16 when viewed from the front surface 20 of the sheet 12.
The method of forming these composite multicolored lines 14 requires precision in order to avoid misalignment of the first and second opaque lines 16, 18. For example, multicolor composite line 22 in FIG. 1 is out of alignment, resulting in more of the lighter line being visible on the lower portion 24 than on the top portion 26 of the line 22. In order to manufacture this ruler with accurate alignment of the lines, multiple images must be applied via a screen printing process.
The disadvantages of the prior methods include the complex nature of the manufacturing process, that is, the forming of multiple images and the application of the images to the transparent base. Another disadvantage is that the opaque lines block the view of the material thereunder. In addition, these lines are difficult to see in low-light situations.